Hello and thanks in advance! I'm sorry for the excessive detail but since I don't know what might be relevant... Question in bold below if you want to skip to the point!
We had two seemingly healthy chicks since late January, from about 10 days old. They turned 9 weeks last week. One black sexlink (Eggy Sue) and one Barred Rock (Egglantine). This is our fourth time raising baby chicks, 2-4 at a time, so we're not too clueless. They had appropriate heat for the first few weeks (mama heating pad), clean water and food and bedding. They had been drinking plain water and eating a good-quality non-medicated feed. Both were vaccinated for Marek's. We have a small healthy outdoor flock ranging from 3-6 years old so outdoor contamination is theoretically possible, but not likely as we had NOT taken the chicks outdoors at all yet. We wash hands between caring for the big girls and babies (don't sanitize shoes though). The big girls are all thankfully fine and healthy.
On Friday Eggy Sue just didn't get up in the morning. We moved her to a small box with food and water (with Rooster Booster) within beak's reach but she died within 3 hours of discovery. No wounds or obvious symptoms, she had a little strength in her legs but not much, droopy neck and closed eyes but not hanging sideways or anything. She didn't seem underweight. No labored breathing or sounds. Her legs looked normal color. Her comb might have been pale but at 9 weeks they're pale anyway. She had seemingly been eating and drinking and pooping normally as recently as the previous evening. (The towel she was on in her final hours was still clean.)
I cleaned and sanitized the brooder after Eggy Sue passed and there might have been a couple questionable cecal poops during the week since previous cleaning; no definite blood or diarrhea or anything alarming though. We put Egglantine on Rooster Booster and ACV for a couple days while I ordered CORID/amprolium just in case, because I read that cocci is the most common chick killer and risks are low for treating preventively. The CORID arrived Sunday and I started Egglantine on it, she's on day 3 of treatment. I've been monitoring her poops and they have seemed fine this whole time.
My question is, after the 5 days initial treatment of CORID (2 tsp/gallon of liquid version), should I do the additional 7 days of half-strength (1 tsp/gallon) or do you think I'm better off switching back to vitamins since we don't really know if they had cocci? (We decided against necropsy due to cost and emotional toll of freezing and preparing her body; she was my son's pet.) I'm now wondering if she needs the vitamins more than medicine since I'm hearing vitamin deficiencies can also cause weakness. They were on a good organic feed (Modesto Milling, which our chickens have done well on) though.
Thank your for your experience and advice!
We had two seemingly healthy chicks since late January, from about 10 days old. They turned 9 weeks last week. One black sexlink (Eggy Sue) and one Barred Rock (Egglantine). This is our fourth time raising baby chicks, 2-4 at a time, so we're not too clueless. They had appropriate heat for the first few weeks (mama heating pad), clean water and food and bedding. They had been drinking plain water and eating a good-quality non-medicated feed. Both were vaccinated for Marek's. We have a small healthy outdoor flock ranging from 3-6 years old so outdoor contamination is theoretically possible, but not likely as we had NOT taken the chicks outdoors at all yet. We wash hands between caring for the big girls and babies (don't sanitize shoes though). The big girls are all thankfully fine and healthy.
On Friday Eggy Sue just didn't get up in the morning. We moved her to a small box with food and water (with Rooster Booster) within beak's reach but she died within 3 hours of discovery. No wounds or obvious symptoms, she had a little strength in her legs but not much, droopy neck and closed eyes but not hanging sideways or anything. She didn't seem underweight. No labored breathing or sounds. Her legs looked normal color. Her comb might have been pale but at 9 weeks they're pale anyway. She had seemingly been eating and drinking and pooping normally as recently as the previous evening. (The towel she was on in her final hours was still clean.)
I cleaned and sanitized the brooder after Eggy Sue passed and there might have been a couple questionable cecal poops during the week since previous cleaning; no definite blood or diarrhea or anything alarming though. We put Egglantine on Rooster Booster and ACV for a couple days while I ordered CORID/amprolium just in case, because I read that cocci is the most common chick killer and risks are low for treating preventively. The CORID arrived Sunday and I started Egglantine on it, she's on day 3 of treatment. I've been monitoring her poops and they have seemed fine this whole time.
My question is, after the 5 days initial treatment of CORID (2 tsp/gallon of liquid version), should I do the additional 7 days of half-strength (1 tsp/gallon) or do you think I'm better off switching back to vitamins since we don't really know if they had cocci? (We decided against necropsy due to cost and emotional toll of freezing and preparing her body; she was my son's pet.) I'm now wondering if she needs the vitamins more than medicine since I'm hearing vitamin deficiencies can also cause weakness. They were on a good organic feed (Modesto Milling, which our chickens have done well on) though.
Thank your for your experience and advice!
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